To sum it up, I had an issue when I bought the car that when first started the steering wheel would fight a bit for a few seconds and you could hear something make a Zzzz noise under the hood. Drove car like that for 2 years almost, finally got bad enough to where it didn't like turning until things warmed up. I replaced the pump with a rebuilt one, and most of the issue went away. That was about a year ago. Flash til now... one day car was steering just fine, the very next day, nope!

Steering wheel fights back hard, almost impossible to steer unless you are in motion. I replaced the pump AGAIN with a expensive new one. Also, fluid was very black. Same issue still! However with the wheels off ground, the steering wheel can move lock to lock but I do feel a slight resistance. Wheels on ground nearly impossible, those that have tried turning the wheel with engine not running knows the feeling, its like that. Other issue is fluid is coffee creamer colored and foamy. I went through 2 quarts of steering fluid trying to flush it and its still like this. Its got air in it, that I know, but it doesn't leak fluid anywhere.

What is my issue? Bad pump, bad lines, or bad steering box?

Please! Help!

 

Sounds like fluid can't move through the system and the pump is just churning the same fluid and overheating and foaming.

 

Zackly: black fluid = SEVERE overheating, and that can't happen anywhere but the pump. For whatever reason, fluid is not circulating throughout the system, but instead the fluid in the pump is just sitting there and getting scorched.

Check the pressure line, gear, & return line for obstructions. If the reservoir is full, the pump should be able to drain the reservoir through the gear and line in just a few seconds: you can remove the return line from the res, plug the nipple on the res, put the return line in a coffee can or something, start the engine, and even just at idle, fluid should come out like a water faucet.

If that doesn't happen, start at the pressure line and make sure the pump can pump fluid out of it, as above; if it does, figure out a way to jam a hose into the return fitting on the gear, and make sure fluid comes out of the gear; and of course, the return line is just a piece of rubber hose (not the same as any kind of fuel line though, it's MUCH stouter than any fuel line, don't try to sub fuel line for it) that you can just replace.

Air should easily flush out of the system within seconds, as long as the pressure in the system remains as low as possible. I usually lift the front wheels off the ground, turn the wheel ALMOST BUT NOT QUITE lock to lock (if you turn it all the way to lock, even for just an instant, the pressure it generates will go from 50 psi or whatever, to 1500 or so, IMMEDIATELY turning whatever air is in the system into foam) a time or 2; shut off the engine; wait acoupla minutes until most of the bubbles in the reservoir have come to the surface and the fluid itself is mostly clear; repeat until there are no more bubbles.